Acts 15:13

Simplified Cowboy Version

When they were done, Jesus's brother James stood up and said, "Listen to me, boys.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers and sisters, listen to me.

King James Version (1611)
And after they had helde their peace, Iames answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

King James Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

English Standard Version
After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New American Standard Bible
After they stopped speaking, James responded, saying, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Century Version
After they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me.

Amplified Bible
When they had finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brothers, listen to me.

Berean Standard Bible
When they had finished speaking, James declared, "Brothers, listen to me!

Contemporary English Version
After they had finished speaking, James said: My friends, listen to me!

Complete Jewish Bible
Ya‘akov broke the silence to reply. "Brothers," he said, "hear what I have to say.

Darby Translation
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me:

Easy-to-Read Version
When they finished speaking, James said, "My brothers, listen to me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when they helde their peace, Iames answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

George Lamsa Translation
And when they had ceased speaking, James rose up and said, Men and brethren, hear me:

Good News Translation
When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends!

Lexham English Bible
And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Men and brothers, listen to me!

Literal Translation
And after they were silent, James responded, saying, Men, brothers, hear me:

American Standard Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken unto me:

Bible in Basic English
And when they had come to an end, James, answering, said, My brothers, give ear to me:

Hebrew Names Version
After they were silent, Ya`akov answered, "Brothers, listen to me.

International Standard Version
After they had finished speaking, James responded by saying, "Brothers, listen to me.Acts 12:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
AND after they were silent, Jakub arose, and said, Men, brethren, hear me:

Murdock Translation
And after they ceased, James arose and said: Men, brethren, hearken to me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when they helde their peace, Iames aunswered, saying: Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

English Revised Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken unto me:

World English Bible
After they were silent, James answered, "Brothers, listen to me.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And when they held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken to me.

Weymouth's New Testament
When they had finished speaking, James said, "Brethren, listen to me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And aftir that thei helden pees, James answeride, and seide, Britheren, here ye me.

Update Bible Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men, brothers, listen to me:

Webster's Bible Translation
And after they held their peace, James answered, saying, Men, brethren, hearken to me.

New English Translation
After they stopped speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New King James Version
And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:

New Living Translation
When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Life Bible
When they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Revised Standard
After they finished speaking, James replied, "My brothers, listen to me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, after they held their peace, James answered, saying - Brethren! hearken unto me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying: Men, brethren, hear me.

Revised Standard Version
After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brethren, listen to me.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And when they helde their peace Iames answered sayinge: Men and brethren herken vnto me.

Young's Literal Translation
and after they are silent, James answered, saying, `Men, brethren, hearken to me;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Afterwarde whan they helde their peace, Iames answered, and sayde: Ye men and brethren, herke vnto me,

Mace New Testament (1729)
After they had done speaking, James assum'd the discourse, and said, my brethren, give me your attention.

Contextual Overview

⁶So the jigger bosses, along with Jesus's handpicked cowboys, met together to come up with a decision on the matter. ⁷Everyone spoke for a long time and then Pete stood up and said, "Brothers, you all know God chose me a long time ago to go out and gather the unbranded Gentiles. He was pulling them into his herd, and they believed in him. ⁸God knows all people's hearts, and he branded these mavericks with the Holy Spirit just like he did us. ⁹He didn't check their pickles, just their faith . . . and he washed 'em clean of their sins. ¹⁰So here's my question, cowboys. Why are y'all now bucking the way God does things and putting a load on the new cowboys' backs that we couldn't carry ourselves? We couldn't follow the code of Moses either, but you want these new cowboys to do what can't be done? That's insane! ¹¹We are saved by what Jesus did, not by what we do. That's the grace of God. And we are all saved the same way." ¹²You could have heard a pin drop as Paul and Barnabas talked about the miracles God had performed while they were gathering mavericks up north. ¹³When they were done, Jesus's brother James stood up and said, "Listen to me, boys. ¹⁴Pete talked to you about how God first decided he was going to bring the unbranded mavericks into his herd for himself. ¹⁵Gathering and branding these unbranded mavericks is exactly what the Good Book predicted when it said,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

after: 1 Corinthians 14:30-33, James 1:19

James: Acts 12:17, Acts 21:18, Mark 15:40, Galatians 1:19, Galatians 2:9, Galatians 2:12, James 1:1

Men: Acts 2:14, Acts 2:22, Acts 2:29, Acts 7:2, Acts 22:1

Reciprocal: Matthew 10:3 - James Mark 3:18 - James Luke 6:15 - James Acts 1:13 - James Acts 1:16 - Men

Cross-References

Acts 7:17
"When the time got close to fulfill his promise to Abe about freeing all his descendants from slavery, there was a whole herd of people.

Galatians 3:17
God made that promise 430 years before the Law was given to Moses. The Law didn't cancel God's promise. Nothing can cancel a promise from God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And after they had held their peace,.... Meaning not the multitude, but Paul and Barnabas; when they had finished their account, and had done speaking:

James answered; or rose up, as the Syriac version reads, he stood up and began to speak. This was James the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve apostles, sometimes called the brother of the Lord; for the other James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, was dead, being killed by Herod, Acts 12:2 but this was the brother of Jude, and the same that wrote the epistle that bears his name: whether he was now bishop or pastor of the church at Jerusalem, is not certain; nor whether he was president in this council; the speeches made in it do not appear to be directed to him: he began his oration thus,

saying, men and brethren, hearken to me; the titles he uses, and the manner of desiring audience, were what were common with the Jews; see Acts 2:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

James answered - James the Less, son of Alpheus. See the notes on Acts 12:1.

Hearken unto me - This whole transaction shows that Peter had no such authority in the church as the papists pretend, for otherwise his opinion would have been followed without debate. James had an authority not less than that of Peter. It is possible that he might have been next in age (compare 1 Corinthians 15:7); and it seems morally certain that he remained for a considerable part of his life in Jerusalem, Acts 12:17; Acts 21:18; Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9, Galatians 2:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 15:13. James answered — He was evidently president of the council, and is generally called bishop of Jerusalem. The rest either argued on the subject, or gave their opinion; James alone pronounced the definitive sentence. Had Peter been prince and head of the apostles, and of the Church, he would have appeared here in the character of judge, not of mere counsellor or disputant. Thy popish writers say that "James presided because the council was held in his own church." These men forget that there was not then what they term a Church on the face of the earth. The Church, or assembly of believers, then met in private houses; for there was no building for the exclusive purpose of Christian worship then, nor till long after. These writers also forget that the pope pretends to be the head of the catholic or universal Church; and, consequently, no man can preside where he is present, but himself. Peter did not preside here; and this was the first ecclesiastical council, and now, if ever, he should have assumed his character of prince and chief; but he did not; nor did any of the other apostles invite him to it, which they would have done had they thought that Jesus Christ constituted him head of the Church. From this very circumstance there is the most demonstrative evidence that Peter was no pope, and that the right of his pretended successor is a nonentity.